as the darkness falls
by kaede11
Summary: kaede is a prince and hanamichi is his mysterious gardener who hides a dark secret
1. chapter 1

Title: As the Darkness Falls/ Part 2  
  
Pairing: RuHana, FujiHanamichi for now Rating: PG13 for now Author: Harsha This is an AU fic.  
  
Finally Kaede's patience snapped. He grabbed the brown eyed man by his arm and shoved him against the tree. His eyes fell on the hood covering the man's face and he pulled it down. He almost gasped in disbelief when he saw the brown-eyed man's face uncovered. Bright red bangs tumbled about his face in sexy waves and fell until his chin. The silky red locks framed a heart shaped face and the redhead had pale gold skin that was a shade or two darker than his own. He also had pouty, red, rosebud lips that were extremely luscious. Kaede rasped out, "Who are you? What are you doing in my garden?" The redhead replied softly, "Hanamichi is my name. I am the new gardener here." Kaede arched an eyebrow, "A gardener? You do not look like a gardener to me." Hanamichi's eyes narrowed, "I am not lying!" He pushed Kaede away from him and turned to leave. Kaede muttered, "I'll find out who you really are , Hanamichi!" He watched the crimson haired man walk away before turning around and heading back to the palace.  
  
Hanamichi fumed internally. That man was really annoying. It wasn't as if he had done something wrong. He had just been sitting in the garden watching the scenery around him. He sighed in frustration as he slowly strolled to his cottage. Since he had taken up the post of the gardener, he had been given a cottage to live in. It was small but extremely cosy. Hanamichi loved the privacy that he got. He had a lot of secrets and the fewer people he knew, the better for him. The Prince had hit the nail on the head when he said that Hanamichi didn't look like a gardener. The truth was that he, Hanamichi Sakuragi was a Dark Lord. They were supernatural beings who were crosses between angels and vampires. They had wings like angels and fangs like vampires. Their beauty was incomparable when they revealed their true form and their powers were unstoppable. Hanamichi was one of the royals'. His father was the current king and he was to become the new king as soon as he finished his 3 year quest. All the Dark Lord's lived in Juansels, a city that was not visible to the human eye. Hanamichi's master, Lord Anzai, had told him that in his three year quest, he must learn how to fit in with humans and make friends with them. Making friends was easy but trusting them was difficult. There were a lot of bounty hunters who were after the Dark Lords'. Many people wanted to obtain the powers' that the Dark Lords' had. The bounty hunters were extremely ruthless and accurate in detecting Dark Lords. Hanamichi had to be extremely careful not to blow his cover.  
  
Hanamichi stripped of his cloak and unbuttoned his shirt. Pulling it off, he balled it up and threw it on a chair. He stood in front of his fireplace and took in the warmth from the glowing fire. Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged behind Hanamichi. He turned around and found himself face to face with Fujima Kenji, a Dark Lord who also had royal blood. Fujima licked his lips in anticipation as he eyed the Hanamichi's bare chest. God, Hanamichi was utterly exquisite and Fujima wanted to make him his. The redheaded man stared warily at Kenji, " Fujima-san, what are you doing here? Is there something wrong with Father?" Kenji took one step closer to Hanamichi and replied, " No, everythings fine. I just came to see you. How have you been?" Hanamichi looked puzzled, " What do you care? You barely know me." Kenji smiled and said, " Of course I care Hana-chan. You do realize that once you finish your quest, you have to choose a mate." Hanamichi muttered, " Yeah, I know but I don't see what that has to do with you." Kenji walked up to Hanamichi and roughly pushed him against the wall. Hanamichi was so startled that he had no time to react. The next thing he knew, Fujima was kissing him. Fujima pressed his lips hungrily against Hanamichi's. He groaned in delight at the sweetness of the redhead's lips. He tried to probe Sakuragi's mouth, but the redhead refused to part his lips. Kenji slid his hands down the beautiful man's bare chest and into the waistband of his pants. Sakuragi realized what he was going to do and shoved him away.  
  
Kenji eyed the redhead in his disheveled state. Hanamichi's hair was mussed, his cheeks flushed and his lips were a blaring shade of red. Kenji felt his lust for the boy rise as he watched the redhead's chest heave for oxygen. His light blue eyes trailed over the pale gold skin of Hanamichi's torso and he smiled predatorily at Hanamichi before whispering, " Till next time Hana." He then disappeared into thin air. 


	2. chapter 2

Title: As the Darkness Falls / Part 1 (yaoi) Pairing: RuHana, FujiHanamichi for now. More pairings later Rating: PG-13 for now Author: Harsha This is an AU fic. Please do review my fic and tell me if its any good. Thanx. PART 1  
  
Crystalline blue eyes gazed out of the window. The amazing eyes belonged to a man with shining jet black hair and pale alabaster skin. Kaede Rukawa had a mask of indifference on his face, but his eyes told a different story. He was the crown prince of Yama. His father, King Kazuma Rukawa was dead and as soon as Kaede reached the age of 20, he would become the next King. His eyes potrayed his fierce independence and will to be free, but few actually dared look into them. His harsh and stern exterior made him feared by everyone.  
  
A sudden movement caught his attention and he turned to see a figure sitting under a tree in the palace garden. The moon cast aglow on the figure and made it appear almost ethereal. The figure in question was a person wearing a dark red cloak. The gender of the person was unknown as he or she had pulled on the hood of the cloak. However, Kaede guessed it was a man as the person looked very tall and the cloak could not conceal the broadness of his shoulders.  
  
Just then Kogure, the court wizard walked into the Prince's chambers; "Rukawa-san, your mother wishes to inform you that she is leaving for Aries tomorrow and wants to know if you would like anything from there." Kaede ignored the question and instead asked, " Kogure, who is that person sitting under the Sakura tree?" Kogure looked out of the window and saw the man in the red cloak. His brown eyes clouded over with puzzlement and he replied, " I don't know Rukawa-san, but I am going to find out " Rukawa turned to kogure and said in a cold tone, " Don't bother. I am going to go down and find out for myself." Kogure looked startled but did not try to dissuade Rukawa. " Ano.. about your mother? " asked Kogure. Rukawa glared disdainfully and said, " Tell that woman I don't want anything! " He turned on his heel and gracefully strode out of the room.  
  
Kaede purposefully strode towards the garden. He wanted to know who that person was. What kind of imbecile dared to trespass onto the palace grounds and settle down under a tree. As he neared the Sakura tree, he realized that the man was staring at some flowers with abundant interest. He walked up to the man and in an icy tone asked, " What the hell are you doing in my garden? " The man spun around in surprise and Kaede found himself face to face with a pair of honey brown eyes. The eyes were almond shaped and were framed by long black lashes. Honey brown eyes they were, but there were flecks of maroon in them. They were utterly astounding. The man just stared blankly at Kaede. Kaede repeated, " Are you deaf? What are you doing in my garden? " The man blinked at Kaede before taking a step back and bowing down to him. Kaede's icy blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. What the hell was this moron doing? The brown eyed man nodded at Kaede and turned to leave. 


	3. chapter 3

Title: As the Darkness Falls part 3 Pairing: RuHana and others Rating: PG-13 for now Author: Harsha This is an AU fic.  
  
Hanamichi crumpled onto his bed. He couldn't believe what Fujima had just done. He had always thought Fujima was shy, studious and very respectful. He had never seen this brazen side of Fujima before. He hoped that his sempai would not try that again. He wasn't interested in choosing a mate. Hanamichi just wanted to be free. He felt his eyelids closing and he gave into the exhaustion he felt. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.  
  
Kaede tossed and turned in his bed. For some reason, he couldn't seem to get to sleep. His thoughts were invaded by a certain redheaded man. Those eyes of his were utterly mesmerizing. Kaede felt lost when he had looked into those eyes. After a long hour of counting chibi-redheads, Kaede fell asleep. " The breeze blew about the forest and the wind seemed to beckon him. He followed the call of the wind and it led him to a small shack. He opened the door and saw a redheaded angel sitting at a table. As soon as he entered the shack, the angel walked up to him and surrounded him in an embrace with his blood red wings. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the redhead who responded with hungry kisses of his own. He wrapped his arms around the angel and pulled him closer. Suddenly, the angel was gone and all that was left was a blood red feather in his palm."  
  
Kaede bolted upright in his bed. That dream had felt so real. Who was the redheaded angel he had been embracing? He pulled himself out of bed and moved towards his bedroom window. He was transfixed by the sight of the sun rising. It was magnificent and it distinctly reminded him of the colour of a certain man's hair. The gardener was a truly puzzling man. He looked like someone of royal blood, yet he claimed to be a lowly gardener. Kaede intended to find out more about this man. He slipped on his pants and wrapped his cloak around his shoulders. He was headed towards the gardener's cottage. Pulling his cloak more firmly around his shoulders, he discreetly slipped out of the palace and towards the white cottage behind the palace.  
  
Hanamichi opened his bleary eyes and wearily stared up at the ceiling. Was it just his imagination or was there a very irritating noise coming from outside. He cocked his ears and listened. A few seconds later, he heard the noise again, only to realize it was the sound of someone knocking on his front door. He wondered who it could be so early in the morning. He was only supposed to start his job as the gardener the following day. He unlocked the door and slowly opened it.  
  
Kaede's ice blue eyes took in the sight of a sleepy redheaded man wearing a black sheet around his body. He noticed that Hanamichi's eyes were partially closed and his bright red hair sexily mussed. He also noted that the black sheet was made of silk and that it revealed the fine lines of Hanamichi's body. It was obvious that he wasn't wearing anything under the sheet. " Wake up gardener!" he commanded in a harsh tone. Hanamichi's eyes slowly flickered fully open. Soft honey brown eyes gazed innocently back at him. " What are you doing here so early in the morning?" asked Hanamichi in a puzzled tone. " I couldn't sleep" replied Kaede. " What has that got to do with me?" muttered the redhead. " Put some clothes on. How dare you open your front door and meet people dressed like this!" growled Kaede. " I don't see anything wrong with what I'm wearing" came the grumble from the crimson haired man. Kaede snorted in disgust, " Wearing? You're not wearing anything under the sheet. I can see everything very clearly."  
  
Hanamichi had the modesty to blush and mumbled something about changing his clothes. " Could you please wait for a while. I have to change my clothes, your highness!" He stomped out of the living room and into his bedroom. As he stepped into his room, he saw something no make that someone lying on his bed. He tiptoed towards the person and got ready to strike, only to realize the person sleeping on his bed was none other than his blood brother, Akira Sendoh. He grinned mischeviously and wacked Akira on the head with a pillow. Akira yelped in pain and grabbed Hanamichi's arm, ready to defend himself. He released his hold on the arm when he realized it belonged to none other than Hanamichi. 


	4. chapter 4

Title: As the Darkness Falls part 4 Pairing : RuHana Rating: PG-13 Author: Harsha This is an AU fic  
  
Akira grinned when he realized it was Hanamichi who had woken him up. He wrapped his arms around the redheaded man's waist and pulled him onto the bed. Hanamichi yelled in surprise as he tumbled onto the bed. The next thing he knew, he was being glomped by Sendoh. " Oh Hana-kun, I've missed you so much. How have you been?" " I'll be really happy once you get off me. I can't breathe'' gasped a winded Hanamichi. Sendoh pouted adorably and replied, " Why would I get off you? I like it up here. I have a perfect view of your delectable body." Hanamichi growled in anger," You good for nothing pervert! How dare you ogle at my body! Get off me at once or I'll throw you off ." Sendoh smiled sweetly at Hanamichi before saying," Nope, I'm not getting off you."  
  
Just then, the two men on the bed heard a voice from the living room. " What the hell is going on in there? Gardener what's taking you so long to change your clothes?" Hanamichi groaned in despair. That stupid prince was in his living room and Akira wouldn't get off him. God what next! Suddenly, he heard Prince Rukawa's voice again; " Gardener, if you don't open the door this second, I'm going to break down the door!" Sendoh stared down at Hanamichi with a comically puzzled look on his face. " Gardener? What gardener is he talking about?" Hanamichi sighed and replied," I'm the new gardener of this palace, now will you get off me?" Sendoh refused to budge so Hanamichi tried to buck him off. He managed to shove Sendoh off but the spiky haired lad pulled at the sheet Hanamichi was wearing causing it to come undone and sending Hanmichi on the ground, naked and Sendoh on top of him.  
  
Rukawa chose that exact moment to barge in through the door. He was met with the sight of a spiky haired man wearing black leather lying on top of a naked redheaded man aka ' The Gardener'. His eyes widened in shock at the intimacy of the scene. " What are you two doing?" he asked in a casual manner that totally belied his thoughts at the time. Hanamichi quickly shoved Sendoh off him and stood up," It's not what you think your highness. He is Akira Sendoh, my blood brother. We were having a bit off an argument and it led to a small scuffle. That's how we landed up in this position.'' Sendoh murmured to Hanamichi," Put on some clothes. Your sheet has fallen off." Hanamichi looked horrified and quickly wrapped the sheet around himself. Kaede looked slightly flushed and in a harsh tone said," Hurry up and change. I'll wait outside for you." He quickly walked out of the room and closed the door. Hanamichi turned to Sendoh and glared at him; " Sendoh! You idiot, look what you did. I've never been so embarrassed in my life." Sendoh smiled slyly at Hanamichi and replied, " I really enjoyed the view. It was merely bad luck that the prince chose that moment to barge through the door." Hanamichi sighed in exasperation," Man you are completely incorrigable." " That's why you love me" replied Sendoh with an angelic smile.  
  
" Will you get out of my room so I can change?" said Hanamichi. Sendoh nodded and stepped out of the room. As he entered Hanamichi's living room, he noticed the prince staring suspiciously at him. He smiled at the prince but all he got in return was an icy glare. Kaede stared at the spiky haired man standing in front of him. He was definitely good looking with his jet black hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to have a mischievous glint in them. The spiky haired man was also tall, in fact taller than himself and he had a good physique. However, something about this man unnerved him. It was as if the man was concealing something. Kaede got the same feeling when he looked at the gardener. They were definitely hiding something and he was going to find out what it was.  
  
Hanamichi stepped out of his room fully dressed. He was wearing black tights and a loose dark blue tunic over it. A sash was tied around the waist of the tunic and a sword holder was on one side of the sash. The outfit showed of Hanamichi's lean waist and long, muscular legs. Over the pants and tunic, he wore a long dark blue cloak that swayed seductively as he moved. Kaede almost gasped when he saw how gorgeous Hanamichi looked. He felt the heat rise up his cheeks as he recalled how the redhead had looked naked, lean with rippling muscles, long legs, slim waist and light golden skin. He looked in one word, scrumptious. Kaede turned to the spiky-haired man and glared at him. Who was this man to the gardener, and what had he been doing lying on top of him in that improper manner.  
  
Hanamichi asked the prince," What did you come here for?" Kaede replied," Who are you? You say that you're a gardener but I don't believe you." Hanamichi sighed in exasperation," How many times do you want me tell you that I am your gardener!" " Very well then, come with me to the palace. I will verify with Lady Ayako if you're really a gardener." Hanamichi nodded and turned to Sendoh, " I'll see you later, ok." Sendoh smiled and nodded. Hanamichi followed Kaede back to the palace.  
  
Hanamichi followed the prince back to the castle. He made sure the prince was a few feet ahead of him, because he knew that he if he got too near the prince, he would strangle him. Kaede turned his head and sneaked a glance at the redhead behind him. The gardener had a fierce scowl on his face. It was rather amusing and Kaede would have laughed except that he did not laugh. As they reached the castle, he turned to the redhead and said," Lady Ayako's room is over there. Follow me." Hanamichi followed the prince to the lady's room. Ayako looked up from her novel as she heard the door open. She saw the prince and a redheaded man enter the room. She immediately stood up and bowed to the prince. Kaede nodded curtly before asking," Is this man a gardener in the castle?" Ayako turned to the redheaded man and smiled. " Your highness, this is the new gardener. We juts hired him last week. He is only supposed to start his duties tomorrow. Is there some problem?" Hanamichi turned to Kaede with a smirk on his face," There, are you satisfied now?" Kaede hmmphed and replied," Whatever, you may go now." Hanamichi bowed down to Lady Ayako before turning and leaving the room. 


	5. chapter 5

Title: As the Darkness Falls Part 5 Rating: Pg-13 for now Pairing: RuHana and some others too. Still in the process of deciding Author: Harsha  
  
Hanamichi whistled cheerfully to himself as he made his way back to his cottage. The prince had been so humiliated when he realized that Hanamichi was really the gardener. The redhead smirked as he recalled the look on the prince's face. It was utterly priceless. Meanwhile, back in the castle, Kaede fumed inwardly. Damn that bloody redhead. The gardener had made him look like a fool.  
  
Lady Ayako turned to the prince and said," Your highness, your mother asked me to pass this scroll to you. It contains information of vast importance." Kaede frowned and asked," What does it concern?" " Your future" replied Lady Ayako. Kaede snatched the scroll out of Ayako's hand and stormed out of the room. He quickly proceeded to his room and shut the door. With trembling hands, he unraveled the scroll and scanned its contents. He gasped as he took in the words written on the scroll.  
  
" Kaede,  
The time has come for you to take on your responsibilities as the heir to the throne. You will be eighteen soon and it is time you found a suitable wife for yourself. She must fit all the essential criterias and she has to have royal blood. I will not allow anyone of less than royal blood. Make sure she is wealthy and is able to bear children. You have permission to choose your own bride in whatever way you deem fit. You will have to visit all the princess's and choose one. You are allowed to take one companion with you to help you. However that companion has to be male. You will leave the day after tomorrow. When I return from Aries, you must not be in the castle. That is all  
  
Your Mother"  
  
Kaede felt all colour drain from his face. This was the worst news he had ever heard in his life. He buried his face in his hands and groaned in despair. He did not want to get married and most importantly, he didn't want the throne. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have much of a choice. If he didn't obey his mother's commands, there would be hell to pay. He decided to obey his mother's command just this once. He would leave the kingdom and visit the princesses, but he would not marry them. He pulled out his haversack from under the bed and started dumping clothes into it. It suddenly hit him that his mother had said that he could have a companion to travel with. " Hmm. who should I take with me?'' he pondered. A malicious smile crossed the usually somber face of Prince Rukawa. He had the perfect idea of who to take with him. The irritating redheaded gardener would be the perfect choice. He could irritate the man and at the same time keep a watchful eye on him. That way he would be able to unravel the gardener's secrets. He smirked to himself as he made his way to Lord Kogure's chambers.  
  
Kogure almost jumped out of his seat when he heard the door to his chamber bang open. He looked up to find Prince Rukawa looming over him with an unusually satisfied expression on his face. He quickly bowed to the Prince before asking, " Your Highness, was there something that you wanted?" The Prince nodded and in an icy tone, said " I want you to summon the new gardener and tell him that he has been ordered to accompany me on a trip. He will serve as my escort." Kogure bowed and replied, " At once, your highness"  
  
Hanamichi grinned to himself as he lay down on his bed. Finally, he could get some sleep. That stupid prince had disturbed him so early in the morning. Just as he was about to doze off, he heard a tapping noise. He realized that some other jackass was knocking on his front door. He swore he would kill whoever it was. He opened the door, ready to kill that person, only to find Lady Ayako at his door. He immediately bowed and then asked, " Lady Ayako, what brings you here?" Lady Ayako smiled at the startled look on the redhead's face. She replied, " I have been sent here to inform you that you are to accompany Prince Rukawa on his journey to find a bride. You will serve as his companion as well as his protector. You cannot decline this position. Be ready by tomorrow as you will have to set off tomorrow morning at dawn."  
  
Hanamichi just gaped at Lady Ayako as he took in all she said. He was fuming, " How the hell did he manage to get himself in this situation!" He sighed and replied, " I realize I have no choice in this matter. Please inform the Prince that I will accompany him on this journey." Lady Ayako smiled and nodded," Thank you, Hanamichi. Your acceptance makes matters much easier for me." She turned and left his cottage. He watched her make her way back to the castle before he wearily leaned against his door. Why did all the bad things have to happen to him.  
  
The rest of the day passed peacefully for Hanamichi and he spent the time packing his stuff for the trip. He just took one haversack filled with necessities because he figured, the prince, being the spoilt brat he was, would bring too many things. He also had a sneaking suspicion that he would land up lugging all of the Prince's stuff. He figured he might as well go prepared. Those were his last thoughts as he fell asleep that night. Tomorrow was going to be a toture and he needed all the rest he could get. 


	6. chapter 6

Hello all !! To all those who read my fic and left reviews, thank you very much. I'm glad that you all like my fic so far. I really appreciate all the reviews I've got. Hope you all enjoy this part. Keep on reviewing k!!!  
  
The next day arrived with the rising of the sun. The light revealed a young man with fiery read hair standing under a Sakura tree with a haversack slung on one shoulder. The redhead had his eyes closed and he was breathing in the sweet smell of the Sakura flowers. In his current pose, he was the epitome of innocent beauty and serenity.  
  
Rukawa slipped out from his room and silently made his way out of the castle. He was greeted with the sight of a beautiful redheaded man with his eyes closed, looking upwards to the sky. He felt something stir deep inside him, but he could not decipher what this emotion was. He was not used to feeling. He never cared enough to feel. He pushed the feeling aside and made his way up to the redhead. As if on cue, the gardener opened his eyes and turned to face the Prince. " All set to go, your highness?" he asked in a sarcastic tone. Kaede just glared at the man and started walking ahead of him.  
  
Hanamichi followed the Prince to the stables to select his horse. He was rather surprised to see that the man had only brought one haversack with him. He supposed the Prince wasn't as stupid as he had originally thought him to be. He grinned to himself as he made his way into the stables. His eyes widened when he saw the number of horses kept there. All the horses were beautifully groomed and looked extremely healthy. He turned as he heard a voice behind him. " Choose a horse for yourself, gardener! You can pick any horse except that black mare over there." Hanamichi turned to look at the black horse that the Prince had been talking about. It was exquisitely beautiful and it reminded Hanamichi of his horse back home. He turned to one of the stable boys and asked, " What's his name?" Rukawa overheard the gardener's question and replied, " His name is Wind". Hanamichi nodded and murmured, " He's beautiful." The stoic prince turned to Hanamichi and replied, " Hurry up and choose a horse, we don't have all day" The redhead rolled his eyes and started examining the other horses in the stable. He walked around the stable, but couldn't find any horse that captured his attention. Suddenly, a soft whine coming from one corner of the stable caught his attention. He moved towards the area where he had heard the noise. He found an exquisite caramel coloured horse whining piteously. The horse stopped whining the minute it saw Hanamichi. The horse's mane shimmered like molten gold. He grinned and turned to the stable master, " This is the horse that I want." The stable master turned pale and replied in a terrified voice, " You don't want this horse. He's a complete beast. He's thrown off all the riders who tried to ride him." Hanamichi turned to the horse and stared at it, " What's his name?" " Blaze" came the whisper from the stable master. Hanamichi stared intently at the stallion and whispered, " He's perfect. I will take him." The stable master gave a sigh of resignation but he nodded. Hanamichi smiled and said, " I'll saddle him up myself." The stable master heaved a silent sigh of relief. Thank God, he didn't have to go near that beast. The last time he had tried, he had got a kick in the ass. He quickly moved towards the Prince's horse and started attending to it.  
  
Kaede watched as the gardener grabbed the saddle from the one of the stable boys and moved towards Blaze. The Prince sniggered inwardly; he was pretty sure Hanamichi was going to get his ass kicked by that horse. So far no one had been able to go near that horse, including himself. The gardener stood directly in front of the horse and stared intently at it. There seemed to be a staring contest going on between the horse and the man. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the man broke the stare and moved closer to the stallion. He gently placed his hand on the horse's golden mane and stroked it. The horse stepped forward and nuzzled Hanamichi. The redheaded man quickly placed the saddle on the horse's back , while continuing to stroke its mane. Even after the saddle was placed on it's back, Blaze continued to nuzzle Hanamichi. The stable masters stared in complete shock at the scene. Even Rukawa looked a little stunned. He however quickly masked his expression with his usual cold glare.  
  
Hanamichi grinned in delight that Blaze had accepted him as its master. The horse had actually appraised him and realizing his nature, it had accepted Hanamichi. The redhead turned around with a smirk on his face. He took in the shocked faces of the stable masters and turned to the prince, only to find the blue-eyed man wearing his usual expressionless mask. It disappointed him that the Prince was unimpressed but he was not one to dwell in self-pity. Instead he took pride in the expressions on the other men's faces. After both the horses were saddled up, the two men mounted their horses' and set out on their journey.  
  
Kaede sneaked a few glances at his companion from under his lashes. The gardener had been extremely quiet and for some reason, that unnerved him. He was a man who appreciated silence, but somehow coming from the redheaded man, it didn't seem right. They had managed to cover quite a bit of distance and were two days away from reaching the first princess's kingdom. They had traveled together for approximately six hours, and not once had the gardener opened his mouth. He turned and glared at the man, " What's wrong with you? Are you sick or something?" The redhead gave him a blank look and replied, " There's nothing wrong with me. Why do you ask?" Rukawa didn't bother to reply. Why wasn't the redheaded idiot talking!! It was driving him crazy.  
  
Hanamichi hid his grin as he took in the irritated expression on the Prince's face. He had purposely kept his mouth shut, firstly to irritate the Prince and secondly to prevent him from asking too many questions. He had realized that the blue- eyed man was suspicious of him and knew he was hiding secrets. What he didn't understand was why the Prince wanted to unveil his secrets. He barely knew the guy after all. He sincerely hoped that the Prince never found out his secret or there would be grave consequences. Right now, the Prince and him were practically strangers to each other and hopefully he would keep it that way. 


	7. chapter 7

Hanamichi and Rukawa had been traveling for almost 8hrs non-stop, and they were both extremely tired. The Prince was almost on the verge of collapsing. The redheaded man noticed his state and decided that they would spend the night at an inn. He turned to Rukawa and said, ''' We are going to spend the night at the inn 3 miles from here."'' The Prince glared at him and replied, ''' No! We will keep going. I am not a weakling'' Hanamichi sighed in exasperation,'' I never said you were a weakling. We both need the rest if we want to continue the journey. It isn't safe for royalty to sleep in the forest. God knows what kind of things could happen.''  
  
The Prince just stared at the gardener with an impassive expression. ''' I'll take that as a yes then'' murmured Hanamichi. Rukawa was fuming inwardly. That damn gardener thought he was weak. Just because he was a little tired didn't mean that they had to stop and spend the night at some stupid inn. He would show that gardener how strong he was. Hanamichi hid his grin behind his bored facade.  
  
The ride to the inn was uneventful and when the men reached it, they immediately requested for two separate rooms. The tension between the two men was rising, but for different reasons. The prince wanted the gardener to talk while the gardener wanted to be out of the Prince's presence. The innkeeper looked at the two men with an apologetic expression on his face. ''' I'm afraid that we only have one room left. We are running full today so you will either have to share or find another inn."'' . Hanamichi turned pale at the thought of sharing a room with the Prince, but he simply nodded and took the key from the innkeeper.  
  
Rukawa and Hanamichi stepped into their room only to be stopped short by the sight of a queen-sized bed. The redheaded man erupted into a string of curses, ''' that swine didn't tell us that we would have to share a bed. I'll get him for this. I refuse to share a bed with a stupid kitsune!'' The prince just glared at him and replied, ''' shut up do'aho. You're no prize either. Just make do with it or you're welcome to sleep outside in the stable."'' Hanamichi continued muttering under his breath but he placed hi haversack at the foot of the bed. Both men looked at the bed and inwardly gulped at the thought of both of them sharing it. 


End file.
